You Better Believe It's Butter [Paneer]

I can't believe it's been over 1.5 years since I updated this. Well recently, a few people asked me for my butter paneer recipe, so I decided to cook it this weekend and took pictures to accompany this blog. Now any true butter, or makhni dish needs to have the base of it cooked in a tandoori style and then tossed the tomato gravy. Whether it be paneer or chicken, the origins of this recipe owe itself to a tandoori base. This recipe is for paneer, but if you were to do chicken, I would follow the marinade process for the paneer below, however, use preferably dark meat chicken, bone in, and chop it up afterwards, then toss into the gravy. Also, the baking time needed in the oven should be increased so the chicken gets cooked thoroughly.  The origins of butter chicken are from Moti Mahal in Delhi in the 1950s, shortly after India's independence from Britain. The chef is said to have been left with scraps of tandoori chicken every night after dinner, which couldn't be served to customers. After experimenting with different gravies, the chef Kundan Lal decided to make a creamy, buttery tomato gravy and toss the chicken pieces in afterwards. Decades later, this dish has been modified in many ways, and butter paneer is the vegetarian friendly version of this dish. After buying several store bought mixes of this masala, I finally came up with a spice blend of my own for the gravy and today I'll be sharing that. Note, you can adjust this based on your spice level. For red chili powder, the green chili, and dry red chili, you can half the needed amount. Here's what you'll need:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  For the tandoori paneer:
  -1 block of paneer, cubed into 1 cm pieces.
  -1 clove of garlic minced (should be about 1/4 tsp.)
  -1/4 tsp. of ginger minced (roughly same amount as garlic)
  -1/2 tsp. of tandoori masala
  -1/4 tsp. of red chili powder (That's my signature, for you Breaking Bad fans ;)
  -1/4 tsp. of turmeric
  -1/2 tsp. of salt (or to your preference)
  -2 tsp. of yogurt

  For the gravy:
  -1/2 large onion chopped
  -2 medium tomatoes chopped into 1/8th pieces
  -2 tbsp. of tomato paste
  -1 green chili
  -2 cloves of garlic minced (should be about 1/2 tbsp.)
  -1/2 tbsp. of ginger (roughly the same amount as garlic above)
  -1 bay leaf
  -1 dry red chili
  -2 cloves
  -1/4 tbsp. of cumin seeds
  -1/4 tbsp. of fenugreek seeds
  -1 tsp. of roasted cumin powder
  -2 tsp. of coriander powder
  -1/2 tsp. of turmeric
  -1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
  -1/2 tsp. of red chili powder
  -1/2 tsp. of garam masala (I used my mom's spice blend, but you can use a store bought)
  -Salt to taste
  -1/2 tsp. of sugar
  -1 tsp. of crushed kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
  -3-4 oz. of half and half (you can use milk, or light cream as a substitute. Almond and cashew milk are also an option)

Preparation:
   For the paneer:
      -Mix the ginger, garlic, and dry spices and salt in a mixing bowl
      -Add the yogurt and mix again
      -Mix the paneer with the yogurt + spice mixture

Paneer before marinating

      -Let paneer sit in fridge for 20-30 minutes (If you are doing chicken, the traditional recipe is for the chicken to be marinated overnight, but 6-8 hours should do fine.)
      -Preheat oven to 425°F in the mean time
      -Coat pan/tray with non-stick spray such as PAM and spread out paneer on pan/tray
      -Bake paneer in oven for 10 minutes. 25-30 minutes if you're doing this with chicken.

   For the gravy:
      -In a kadhai (a thick wok), melt 2 tbsp of butter
      -Add the cumin seeds, cloves, bay leaf (broken into half to release flavors), dry red chili (broken in half), and sauté in the melted butter

Sautéing the whole spices.

      -Add the fenugreek seeds and sauté again (these are added later in order to preserve their tanginess. If they stay in the butter for too long, they will blacken and turn bitter.)
      -Add the ginger, garlic, and green chili and sauté

I decided to use a mortar and pestle to make a paste out of the ginger, garlic, and green chili, but it's all going in a blender, so you can add them as is

      -Add the onion and sauté till brown and translucent 

Onions just about ready before adding tomatoes

      -Add the tomatoes and wait till they start breaking down; you may use your spatula/stirring spon to break it down while sautéing

Nice and red tomatoes!

      -Add some salt when the tomatoes start to break down

      -Once the tomatoes have broken down to a juice (you'll see the oil start to separate), add the tomato paste, mix, and sauté for 3-4 minutes

      -Add the coriander powder, roasted cumin powder, red chili powder, turmeric, nutmeg, and garam masala. Also add some salt to your preference

Oils are starting to separate at the edges

      -In a blender, add 3 oz. of half and half and then add the tomato/onion mixture

      -Chop on high, and them purée on high until you get a homogenous mixture

      -Through a fine-medium grade mesh, pour the gravy back into the pan to get out any tomato peels/tomato seeds that get stuck behind. You want a creamy consistent gravy

      -Pour the blended gravy back into the pan and add the remaining 1 oz. of half and half if you feel the color is a bit off, or the gravy is too thick. You may also add some more butter

      -Cook till the raw, tangy taste of tomatoes are gone from the gravy

      -Add the baked paneer pieces to the gravy now

      -Add the sugar and stir for a minute so it caramelizes into the gravy

      -Add the crushed fenugreek leaves as a garnish
      -Stir for 30 seconds and turn off the flame
      -Serve with cumin basmati rice, or Indian flatbreads, or both like I did.

Dinner is served Bon appétit.